Hyderabad-Born Entrepreneur Leads AI Wearable Startup Targeting December Launch
Hyderabad, Oct 21 (TNT): Aarav Garg, a 20-year-old founding team member and Chief Hardware Officer of US-based AI startup Persona, is overseeing the development and manufacturing of its screenless AI wearable, Persona Band, with shipments targeted to begin in December 2026, the company said on Wednesday.
In a release, the company said that it has raised $10 million at a reported valuation of $100 million.
Persona Band is designed to bring voice-enabled artificial intelligence to everyday activities without requiring users to interact with a screen.
Garg is leading hardware engineering, product development and manufacturing, working with manufacturing partners in China to prepare the device for production.
The company is currently conducting sample production runs to assess build quality and resolve potential manufacturing issues before mass production.
Garg said simplifying the band’s design, particularly its strap mechanism, had introduced manufacturing challenges that required extensive engineering and testing to overcome.
Weighing 27 grams, the wearable features two microphones, a speaker and a 12-LED ring to communicate its operating status. The company says the device is designed to offer up to five days of battery life and support more than 120 languages.
Garg said integrating a speaker, dual microphones and a battery capable of lasting three to five days into a compact form factor had required changes to the internal design and the development of customised components.
The company initially considered excluding the speaker from the first version because of space and power constraints but decided to retain it to allow users to receive responses directly through the wearable without relying on their smartphones.
Persona is conducting quality tests, including water-ingress checks and button durability testing involving 10,000 presses, before approving mass production.
The wearable is designed to work with Persona’s AI assistant, which can help users manage appointments, emails, notes and travel through natural conversation. The assistant is currently available in a free beta through iMessage, while the company prepares the wearable for launch.
Garg began building robots as a child, later studied at Purdue University and subsequently co-founded Omi, another AI wearable startup.
At Persona, his responsibilities span hardware development and manufacturing.
The company plans to continue improving the wearable and its underlying AI technology while developing additional hardware products.
It sees the Band as the first step towards a broader range of devices powered by its AI platform.
Persona has raised $10 million in a funding round led by Vine Ventures, with participation from Cory Levy and Collective Global.
The company plans to use the funds to support product development and business expansion.
Preorders for Persona Band are available at $179, with shipments targeted for December 2026.
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